The Nike Free is designed to simulate the action of running barefoot.

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The Nike Free ($85; nike.com) is designed to simulate the action of running barefoot. Here's the theory: Over the past thirty years, running shoes have become more and more cushioned and supportive--and yet runners get injured just as often as they always have. Hmmm, wondered Nike's designers, maybe we're overthinking this whole support thing. Let's make a shoe that "mimics the natural mechanics of your foot, creating a force that builds muscle and makes you stronger," as the promotional material claims. I run marathons in slipperlike racers, so I loved the Free's flexibility and minimal sole. Still, as a run-in with campus police once taught me, going natural must be done with caution. Tearing across the grass felt great, but a few miles of pavement made it clear why Nike describes the Free as a training tool, not a pure running shoe. Will I get faster and/or stronger from wearing these things? Who knows. But it's hard to fight the allure of a shoe whose promise of greater performance lies in what it doesn't do. If only my wife would stop calling me a training tool when I wear them.